6th Avenue Re-Make: A Des Moines
Success Story in Progress

Des Moines' 6th Avenue is a grand old thoroughfare that runs through the heart of the city. Unfortunately, time has taken its toll on this local treasure. Boarded up businesses, run down homes and apartment buildings, vacant lots full of weeds, all contribute to an air of fatigue, resignation, even despair.

To combat this, residents, community organizations and government agencies have teamed up to reverse the trend and restore 6th Avenue to viability. A leader in the movement is Community Housing Development Corporation, a community-based non-profit organization. Working throughout the inner city, this organization has achieved success in many local projects including single-family and multifamily housing rehabilitation and new construction, some on major sites on 6th Avenue.

Community Housing Development Corporation's latest venture, The Apartments of River Trace, is the first segment of a "senior housing campus" to be developed in the 1700 block of 6th Avenue. River Trace will consist of 37 apartment units in one building, funded primarily through a HUD Sec. 202 Capital Advance of $2.4 million. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines through its Affordable Housing Program is providing additional financial assistance. The River Bend Neighborhood Association donated part of the vacant property needed for the project.

River Trace is Phase I of a proposed $4.5 million mixed income "senior campus" to be built on the site over the next three years. Once completed, the campus will consist of housing options designed for seniors with incomes ranging from very low to media, and may offer both rental and cooperative ownership opportunities.